Arson Task Force officials say an early morning fire in Oxon Hill yesterday is being investigated for links to the serial arsonist, but that a man in federal custody has not been ruled out as a suspect in the series of fires in the District, Maryland and Virginia.
Nobody was hurt in yesterday’s fire, which was set outside a townhouse in the 2400 block of Rosecroft Village Circle East.
Firefighters responded to the call at about 3:30 a.m, Mark Brady, a Prince George’s County fire department spokesman, said.
The homeowner, her mother and her 5-year-old daughter were awakened by neighbors and escaped unharmed, Mr. Brady said. The fire was set on the porch of the townhouse and reached the roof but did not get inside the house.
The fire is the first since suspect Noel Gibson was taken into custody March 31 on charges of impersonating a firefighter and charged in federal court with lying to investigators. Task force officials said fingerprints lifted from the earlier arson scenes did not match those of Mr. Gibson, 33. He was arrested after representing himself as a fire investigator to officials in a Lanham elementary school, fire officials said.
Mr. Gibson remains in custody in Prince George’s County, held without bail.
“We understand he’s still incarcerated on federal charges,” Mr. Brady said. “He still remains a person of interest. He still remains a suspect and will remain so until we’re told otherwise by investigators on the task force.”
Firefighters responding to the call yesterday notified the task force because the fire matched the three criteria established for the serial arsonist: It was set between midnight and 6 a.m., involved the use of a chemical accelerant and targeted an occupied dwelling.
Mr. Brady said “other forensic evidence” was collected at the scene, but he would not elaborate on what it was.
The fire was the first since the task force issued a composite sketch Feb. 18 of a suspect in the case. The sketch was based on a description provided by a witness who confronted the arsonist in September. The man fled before he could set fire to a house in the 4100 block of Anacostia Ave. NE.
With yesterday’s fire, the task force is investigating 37 cases in the past 13 months, including a June 5, 2003, fire in the 2800 block of Evarts Street NE that killed Lou Edna Jones, 86. Ten persons have been injured.
Investigators had conclusively linked 15 of the fires to the serial arsonist, but Mr. Brady said they are no longer tracking the numbers in that manner. He said now they are only releasing the number of fires that are being investigated because they are all considered to be linked to the arsonist.
“We’re trying to keep a more concise and less confusing set of numbers,” he said. “Right now we have 37 cases.”
Please read our comment policy before commenting.